Container carrier



June 12, 1962 G. M. RAPATA 3,038,602

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Dec. 10, 1959' INVENTOR.

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3,038,602 CONTAINER CARRIER George M. Rapata, Park Ridge, 111., assignorto Illinois Tool Works, Ina, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10,1959, Ser. No. 858,650 8 Claims. (ill. 20665) This invention isconcerned generally with a package or article carrier, and moreparticularly with a receptacle for holding and carrying containers forbeverages and the like, for example, cans, and with the resultingpackage unit of receptacle and containers.

It is common practice to package beverages including beer and soda popin cans. Conventionally, a plurality of such cans, usually six innumber, is supplied in a receptacle or carrier for home consumption. Aplurality of such units of six or so cans generally is shipped in alarger carton which is broken open at a retail outlet for sale of theunits to the ultimate consumers.

Beverage cans heretofore have been held together by a variety ofexpedients including paper or pasteboard containers, or metal clips.-The most satisfactory type of container known to me is that disclosed inPoupitch US. Patent 2,874,835, wherein a single, unsupported sheet ofresilient, elastic plastic sheet material is provided with apertureswhich are slipped over the end of a can, the material adjacent theapertures stretching about the cans and deforming respectively into amore or less frustoconical shape and tightly gripping each can beneaththe bead thereof. Such carriers are relatively inexpensive, areconvenient to use, and are readily installed on the cans, whilesubsequently gripping the cans quite tenaciously. Removal of a can fromsuch a carrier requires an upward and outward tipping of each can. Suchremoval is not particularly diiiicult, but some people may find itdifficult to master the technique, with the result that the beverage inthe can may be shaken up rather considerably as the can is removed fromthe carrier. This is undesirable in the case of some beverages, such asheavily carbonated beers, as the beverages tend to foam extensively uponopening of the cans.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a can carrierand resulting package unit in which the cans are removable from thecarrier with extraordinary facility.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a plastic sheetmaterial carrier for containers such as cans, and the resulting packageunit, wherein the containers are held quite tenaciously, and yet arereadily loosened for facile removal.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a flat sheet plasticcarrier for cans and the like including means for loosening, but notcompletely releasing the cans.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sheet plasticcarrier for a plurality of cans wherein a single tear strip deviceloosens all of said plurality of cans for removal.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent from the following description when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier constructed in accordance withthe principles of this invention as associated with a plurality of cans;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the carrier and cans of FIG, 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the cans andcarrier after removal of the tear strip;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carrier;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the carrier after removalof the tear strip; and

FIG, 8 is a plan view of a fragment of a modified carner.

Referring now in greater particularity .to the drawings, a carrier,receptacle or retainer constructed in accordance with the principles ofthis invention comprises a fiat sheet of plastic material provided witha plurality of spaced apertures 12. Polyethylene is a preferred exampleof the plastic sheet material used in making the carrier, but otherfunctionally similar plastic materials are satisfactory. The retainer orcarrier 10 conveniently is stamped from an elongated strip in a suitablepunch press, and the scrap formed by punching the apertures and byforming the external configuration conveniently is processed for furtheruse.

The apertures 12 may be of various shapes, as described in theaforementioned Poupitch Patent 2,874,835. Preferably, the apertures 12are ellipses. The apertures are arranged in pairs on opposite sides ofthe longitudinal median line of the carrier, and although regularellipses, or even circles are satisfactory for the aperture shape, it ispreferred that one of the long sides of each ellipse be of shorter arcthan the opposite long side, thereby providing a fat ellipse, with thefat side toward the longitudinal center line of the carrier. Again,although the ellipses could be skewed, it is convenient in the presentinstance to have their axes arranged longitudinally and transverse ofthe median line of the carrier.

The external configuration of the carrier 10 is substantiallycomplementary to the apertures, including rounded off corners l4, andincluding scallops 16 between adjacent apertures. A pair of parallelweakened lines 18 extends longitudinally along the carrier on oppositesides of the longitudinal median line. The lines 18 approach tangencywith the apertures 12, but are disposed outside of the apertures.

The lines 18 define between them a tear strip 20, which conveniently isprovided with a tab 22 having a relatively small opening 24 therein. Twonotches 126 are presented between the tab 22 and the adjacent portionsof the carrier, and the lines 18 extend into these notches, therebyfacilitating tearing. The opposite ends of the lines simply end at theopposite margin of the carrier.

According to one preferred form of the invention, the weakened orprescored lines 18, as shown in FIG. 5, are formed only in one surfaceof the carrier, each being defined by a plane perpendicular to thesurface of the carrier, and by a plane forming an acute angle therewith.It has been found that the tear strip always is removed accurately alongthe weakened or prescored lines with this cross-section. Some othercross-sections tend to cause erratic tearing, rather than preciselyalong the weakened lines.

Another satisfactory cross-section for the score lines is shown at 18ain FIG. 6. In this embodiment of the invention, the score lines aresymmetrical Vs, and are formed on both sides of the carrier. Theweakened or score lines in either case can be produced by stamping, byskiving (passing under a fixed knife), or by crimping between rollers,or with a hot wire. The reduction in thickness of the sheet dependssomewhat on the technique by which the score lines are formed. Forexample, when the score lines are simply stamped into the material, orotherwise pressed therein, th density of the plastic material in thestamped region is increased somewhat, and the score lines thus can besomewhat deeper, since the added density of the material at the bottomsof the score lines imparts additional strength thereto.

The carrier 10 is adapted for association with containers, preferablycans 28 having lateral or peripheral enlargements at the opposite endsthereof in the form of the usual beads 29.

The carrier is preferably initially flat and is applied to the pluralityof cans 28 by means of automatic machinery, not shown herein. Theinitial peripheral measurement of each aperture 12 is less than theperiphery of the can 28 to be associated therewith, and especially lessthan the can bead. The band 30 of plastic about each aperture 12 isstretched almost to the elastic limit of the material as it is installedover the can rim or bead, and hence the spring back of the innerperiphery of each band 30 causes each can be gripped tightly. As will beseen particularly in FIG. 2, the bands 30 are tipped up to form verynearly cylindrical sections, being frustoconical as at 32 betweenapertures, due to the inter-connecting material, seen especially as thetear strip 20 in FIG. 2.

For convenience in carrying, the carrier 10 preferably is Provided witha pair of spaced longitudinal slots 34 through which the legs 36 of aninverted U-shaped plastic handle 38 are inserted. The bottom ends of thelegs are provided with heads 40 in the nature of toggle bolts whichreadily are inserted through the slots 34, and which thereafter springout to prevent retraction.

It will be observed that each score line or groove 18 extends through astressed area of plastic sheet material adjacent apertures 12. It isimportant to observe that no score line ends within this stressed area.Hence, there is no tendency for accidental or inadvertent tearing orsplitting of the plastic material to start. Thus, in one preferredembodiment of the invention, the tensional yield strength of the plasticmaterial about each aperture, as the band 30, is close to fifteen poundsat room temperature. The tear strip is readily removed by pulling it up,as from the solid line to the dashed line position of FIG. 1. Thisresults in producing a band of reduced thickness in a stressed area. Thereduced thickness or width of the band is such that the tensional yieldstrength is not much over three pounds. The tension on the band issubstantially over this amount, and hence the material stretches andnecks down in the critically overstressed area as at 4 2, seeparticularly FIG. 7. This not only effectively enlarges the aperture,but further reduces the tensional strength. Accordingly, the cans aresubstantially, but not completely released. The enlargement of theperiphery of the aperture, in each instance, along with the tensionalstrength renders removal of the cans a rather simple matter.

A modification of the invention is shown in FIG. 8, similar parts beingidentified by similar numerals with the addition of the suffix b. It hasbeen found that the score lines or grooves 18 need not extend entirelyto the notches or inside corners 26 at the starting end of the tearstrip. The score lines can be terminated a short distance from thenotches 2611, as indicated at 44b. The distance by which the end of thescore line or groove 18b may be spaced from the adjacent notch 26b willvary somewhat according to the thickness and strength of the material,but in general it has been found that the spacing should not be morethan about inch. Also, the notch 26b can be formed as a radius, asshown, to prevent unwanted tearing in the notch. Alternatively, thenotch can be sharp, as in the preceding figures to facilitate tearing.In this example, the tear tab 22b has no aperture, but is provided withtransverse knurling for improved gripping.

The carriers 10 are frequently supplied in long strips with successivecarriers connected together in end-to-end fashion by readily severableconnections. In such instances the tab such as 22 of one carrier projectinto the indentation between the weakened lines 18 at the confrontingend of the next adjacent carrier.

It will now be apparent that I have disclosed an improved sheet plasticcarrier for cans and the like, and the resulting package comprising thecarrier and the cans. The fact that the weakened or prescored lines orgrooves extend completely through a stressed area is important. Thispositively precludes any concentration of stresses tending to start atear. The extension of the weakened or scored lines, specificallycontinuously, from one end to the other of the carrier and intersectingthe stressed areas around all of the apertures allows all of the cans tobe loosened by removal of but a single tear strip. Removal of this tearstrip does not suddenly free all of the cans completely, thereby tendingto cause one to lose control over the cans, but simply loosens the cansto an extent where they are readily removed. The cans can be removed byan upward and outward tipping motion, or they can be removed simply bypulling laterally thereon to fracture the necked down, weakened areas at42.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specificallydescribed, it will be apparent that various mechanical variations arereadily possible and fall within the scope of the invention as definedby the following claims. Thus, the weakened lines can be interrupted.Furthermore, these lines need not necessarily be straight but may be,for example of more or less hourglass shape to provide more materialabout the slots 34 to resist tearing in this vicinity.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A carrier for a plurality of containers to be arranged in a pair ofrows and in substantially parallel side-by-side relation and eachcontainer having a peripheral enlargement at one end thereof; andcomprising a substantially unsupported sheet of plastic material whichis resilient, deformable and elastic, said sheet having a pair ofparallel rows of apertures with plural apertures in each row, each ofthe apertures having a peripheral measurement less than the periphery ofa corresponding container and the material at the edge of each aperturebeing circumferentially continuous and uninterrupted, the apertures inthe sheet being intended for association with the containers wherebyeach container can be inserted through a corresponding aperture from agiven direction when the material adjacent the aperture is stretched anddeformed to form circumferentially continuous bands embracing andresiliently gripping the containers beneath the peripheral enlargements,and means providing a weakened area extending continuously along thecarrier between adjacent rows of apertures and positioned to reduce thetransverse extent of the plastic material between the weakened area andthe adjacent edge of each adjacent aperture to less than the transverseextent of the remainder of the plastic material around each aperturethereby leaving a narrow portion which becomes axially shorter than theremaining portion of the stretched band when the containers areassociated with the carrier in order to lessen the force required toseparate an associated container from a carrier.

2. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the weakened area comprisesa score line.

3. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the weakened area is definedby a pair of substantially parallel score lines defining therebetween atear strip.

4. A carrier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tear strip is providedwith a tab projecting from the carrier to facilitate tearing.

5. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge of the carrier isprovided with a notch communicating with the weakened area to facilitatetearing.

6. A carrier package comprising a plurality of containers in a pair ofrows with the containers in each row in substantially parallelside-by-side abutting relation with those in the other row and eachcontainer having a peripheral enlargement at one end thereof, and acarrier therefor in the form of a sheet of plastic material which isresilient, deformable and elastic; said sheet having a plurality ofapertures therein with the material at the edge of each aperture beingcircumferentially continuous and uninterrupted and with the peripheralmeasurement of each aperture being less than that of a correspondingsupported container whereby the containers, inserted axially throughsaid apertures, stretch and deform the material adjacent the aperturesinto circumferentially continuous bands embracing the containers beneaththe peripheral enlargements, and means providing a weakened areaextending continuously along the carrier between adjacent rows ofcontainers and positioned to extend through the lower portion of eachstretched band to leave thereabove an axially shortened portion of theband upon tearing of the carrier along the weakened area whereby tolessen the force required to break the shortened portion in separatingan associated container from the carrier.

7. A carrier package as claimed in claim 6, wherein the weakened area isdefined by a pair of weakened lines extending centrally through thecarrier sheet and defining therebetween a tear strip for removingportions of each band upon separation of the tear strip from the carriersheet.

8. A carrier package as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tear stripincludes a tab portion projecting outwardly from the carrier sheet forready access.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS388,385 Wooster Aug. 21, 1888 2,656,959 Currie Oct. 27, 1953 2,706,076Guyer Apr. 12, 1955 2,874,835 Poupitch Feb. 24, 1959 2,877,893Volckening et all Mar. 17, 1959 2,997,169 Poupitch b. Aug. 22, 1961FOREIGN PATENTS 1,001,226 France Oct. 24, 1951

